Enfield No. 4 Mk I questions

K

ks_wayward_son

New member
Just received my first purchased c&r rifle a week or so ago. An Enfield No. 4 Mk I (as title indicates :p). Have a few questions about it though.

1.) Its pretty hard to move the bolt head lever in the "up" position for bolt removal. I was thinking of trying some Break Free of some kind (CR; etc.), or maybe even WD 40??

2.) Stock is pretty flimsy around the grip area. I was wondering if it would be best to try and re-bed/re-seat the components with the original wood`, or if I should purchase a reproduction stock? How would one go about reseating/rebedding the stock and how difficult would the procedure be? I bought the Enfield primarly as a shooter, but still would definitely retain the original wood for historical/collectible merit.

3.) Haven't really had enought time to study the rifle yet; but have found it somewhat difficult to locate serial numbers. Need to know this info. for recording in my C&R book.

Thanks.
 
The bolt head release lever is pushed DOWN, then released when the bolt head is sitting over it. If you mean it won't come back up to release the head then try this: The bolt release lever may just be loaded up with dried funky old cosmolene, try alcohol as a cleaner as it dissolves cosmo.
Once done re-lube with oil of your choice. You might want to remove the forestock do do this to protect the inside of the wood.

I'm not sure what you are calling the "grip area"? Do you mean the rear (butt) stock grip, or the fore end by the magazine area?
Either way it isn't as flimsy as it seems. I'd just oil it with BLO a lot & be happy unless there is actual damage of some kind.

Serial number should be either on the left hand side of the ring at the rear of the breech, or on the flat on the left hand side receiver wall. It should be repeated on the flat rear of the bolt handle, but do check that the bolt matches the receiver for a # as the one on the receiver rules.
 
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The butt stock bolt may be loose, it's under the butt plate, you need a large, long screw driver.

The bolt release may be gummed up, soak it with a solvent and keep working it. There's a plunger and spring under the release, it's easy to remove and service.

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Are you sure you are trying to move the bolt head correctly? The No. 4 Mk 1 [no star] has a bolt release that you have to push down AND HOLD WHILE you pull the bolt back all the way. Tying to move the bolt head with the release holding it will bend or break the release.

Jim
 
Thanks for the information everyone. When I looked at the Century International Arms leaflet that came with the rifle, it didn't tell me about the bolt release. It simply stated that the bolt head needed to be turned counter-clock wise. Fiddled with it a bit and figured it out. If you have ever completely disassembled/reassembled the No. 4, how difficult was the whole process? I was looking at the Surplus Rifle website, and the instructions were pretty clear, but nevertheless there are quite a few steps to deal with it. Think I could get away with cleaning most parts as a whole instead of a complete disassembly?
 
Disassembly is fairly easy, but why? If you do decide to take it apart, note a couple of things. Do not try to take the buttstock off before you take the foreend off. If you do, you can crack the foreend.

To take off the buttstock you need a long screwdriver (a chisel point tire tool will usually do), but be sure you engage the bolt slot head. (There may be a piece of felt in there that you will have to remove first.) If you try to turn the screwdriver with the head between the stock bolt and the stock rather than in the slot you will crack the buttstock.

As to the bolt, removing the bolt head should be enough for cleaning. Bolt takedown requires a special tool and the repro tools often break. I would leave it alone unless you have to replace the firing pin or the spring. You also have to be careful with firing pin protrusion in reassembly.

Jim
 
What he said plus.........
Only turn the fore-stock by the absolute minimum needed to get it off. Don't swivel it off from the front end, just slide it off vertically & close to parallel to the barrel.
Don't bother stripping the firing pin, just hose it from the front generously with gun-scrubber after unscrewing the bolt head. Liberally dollop big lots of gun oil in when it's clean & dry then let it stand firing pin up on a pile of paper towels to internally lube.
 
Do not try to take the buttstock off before you take the foreend off. If you do, you can crack the foreend.
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Jim,

This only applies to the No1 MKIII Enfield ... NOT the No4. The stock bolt tip of the No4 rifle is not kept within the fore-end, unlike the No1.

Tiki.
 
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Enfield

Good advise, be carefull of re-bedding....

The old Enfield likes free floating from my experience with it and let it cool down after 2-3 shots if you want to shot tight.
 
I'm going to disagree with the cooling down every few shots post.
Mine will all will run all day hot. In fact if one did not remain consistent I'd be looking for a bedding issue.

Now any rifle will throw the first shot from a cold clean bore a little "off" (compared to all following shots) but they should be able to maintain good accuracy for literally a couple of hundred rounds.:)
 
Hi, Tiki,

You are correct; my mistake. I am so used to giving out that warning that I do it even when it is not necessary.

Jim
 
ks_wayward_son said:
If you have ever completely disassembled/reassembled the No. 4, how difficult was the whole process? I was looking at the Surplus Rifle website, and the instructions were pretty clear, but nevertheless there are quite a few steps to deal with it. Think I could get away with cleaning most parts as a whole instead of a complete disassembly?
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Just follow the procedures outlined on surplus rifle. Most all No4's I have handled were packed full of dirt and cosmoline under the wood. I would strip the rifle, clean and oil (linseed) the wood. Use a good rust preventive on the metal, like Eezox. wogpotter outlined how the clean the bolt without disassemblely. Have a gunsmith check the head space or buy a No-Go gauge from www.okiegauges.com for $26.

If you want to shoot as tight as group as the rifle is capable of pay attention to the fore-end fit. There are several articles on-line that address this. I would follow the recommended procedures from the military manuals vs some of the home brew methods.

These rifles are a lot of fun to shoot and can become additive.
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madcratebuilder

Sorry to bother you and sorry for not starting a new thread, but I just got my first Enfield and I noticed you have the same model on your picture. I've been having trouble identifying the gun or I wouldn't have bothered you. Could you tell me the model of the second to last Enfield in your pictures? I would be eternally grateful if you could help.
 
If you are referring to the one with the scope and half stock that is a sporterize No4 MkI. This particular rifle was done by Santa Fe Arms but it was very common back in the late fifties, sixties and early seventies for guys to remove the two upper hand guards, then cut the fore-end at the rear band to reduce the weight of the rifle for hunting. Some went so far as cutting the barrel. Some went as far as custom wood and bluing. You can see examples of these on Gunbroker.com, just search "enfield" you'll get about twenty pages of rifles and other goodies.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Hi, Tiki,

You are correct; my mistake. I am so used to giving out that warning that I do it even when it is not necessary.
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Jim

It's good advice to be giving out mate, I too try to make sure that people who are new to Enfields avoid these kinds of mistakes. I wasn't trying to tread on your toes. :)

Best, Tiki.
 
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